Waiting
The elves had been kinder than Ciara thought they would have been. Each of the three had been allowed to keep their separate rooms, but every door, the hallway and the windows were guarded. Bohdan kept to himself after his return. Even when Ciara had attempted to thank him for what he had done, Bohdan had angrily told her to leave.
So now Ciara sat with Kyner in his chambers. The girl showed no ill-effects from the poisoned arrow and Kyner was relieved by that, if nothing else. Neither of them spoke for a long time but Ciara finally broke the silence.
"What are we going to do?"
Kyner laughed mirthlessly, "I've been asking myself that question since I saw you crumpled against that chest. You gave me quite a scare."
"So did you. Trying to fight an entire army is quite the death wish."
"Fighting Mahtan alone is quite the death wish," Kyner murmured.
"Is he that powerful?" asked Ciara.
"Never underestimate an elf. Mahtan must be over six centuries old. No one lives that long without learning some skills."
"Was he ever a warrior?"
"No," Kyner shook his head, "Mahtan needs focus in order to be effective. Such focus is impossible to maintain in a pitched battle and only works well against single opponents. Mahtan is a lord first, but is still a formidable adversary. However, we have other things to discuss."
"Well, we seem to have plenty of time-"
"No," said Kyner, "we have much less time than we need. We simply cannot use it. But, I need to tell you that our situation has gotten much worse."
"What's happened?"
"Gorion, the man I told you of earlier. He was a mage far wiser than I. I met with him not long ago and we decided that we should try and consolidate. You and I were to meet Gorion and his ward at Scornubel.
"Two things have gone wrong with this plan. I learned last night that Scornubel was laid to waste and I learned just hours ago that Gorion himself is dead."
Ciara was getting tired of surprises, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just did." Kyner's tone was more than a little dismissive, and this annoyed Ciara more than the evasion.
"You know what I meant."
"Sorry," said Kyner, "for a time you seemed so peaceful. I didn't want to sully that."
Ciara thought back to the morning and the night before. It had been pleasant. The dreams had been like none she had known before. "So Gorion is dead, what about his ward?"
"I know nothing of the ward's fate, but I suspect he is still alive. Mahtan told me that Baldur's Gate is still reasonably safe but it would not surprise me if even that has changed. Still, Baldur's Gate remains better than no destination at all. But it is still a long road."
"Can you show me?" asked Ciara. Kyner smiled at Ciara's interest and retrieved a large canvas map from his satchel then laid it out on the floor.
"This," Kyner pointed at what looked to be a green blotch near the very top of the map, "is the Aeterveran wood. This is where we came from," and he pointed at a black dot within a smaller green blotch to the north-east of the first green blotch. "And this is where we're going," Kyner's finger went an agonizing distance down the map to end at a black dot much larger than the one indicating Noatun. Ciara then realized what a pathetically small distance they had managed to travel.
"A long road," Ciara said the words slowly, "I think that is the greatest understatement I have ever heard you make. Just thinking of the distance makes me want to take a nap."
"Do not worry," said Kyner, "most of the journey will not be overland. First we must make our way to Hreispell," and Kyner pointed to a black dot worlds closer than the one labeled Baldur's Gate. "From there we can get what supplies we need and join a caravan that is going south."
"Why would we join a caravan?"
"Because the road will be dangerous."
"Why can't anything be easy?" Ciara asked of no one in particular.
"We will have to travel through a part of the world so perilous that very few are willing to brave it at any time of the year. Since Hreispell rapidly proceeds through autumn, many merchants will be wanting to leave, or else be trapped in a region where there is little or no coin to be made all winter."
Ciara considered Kyner's words. Kyner and others had taught her that other parts of the world were considerably warmer than the place in which she had grown. That was not terribly surprising but she had trouble imagining it.
Kyner continued without noticing Ciara's reverie, "They also know it is a dangerous road, and will want as many to travel with them as possible. Many of these merchants will be dwarves from Mithral Hall. They are a hardy folk, and worthy of respect. The road to Mithral Hall will be short in distance but long in hardships." Ciara didn't like the sound of that last part.
"Then things will get easier. From Mithral Hall we will take a river boat to Luskan. Luskan is uninviting to travelers but I have connections there so we should have no problems. From Luskan we will take a ship to Neverwinter and then board another ship, if possible, bound for Baldur's Gate. If we cannot find a ship at Neverwinter going to Baldur's Gate we will take a ship to Waterdeep and then find one going to Baldur's Gate."
"Why not try and find a ship going from Luskan to Baldur's Gate?"
"Because it will be hard enough to find a ship in Luskan that is not a pirate ship. It will be nearly impossible to find a ship at Luskan that is crewed by honest men. We stand a much better chance of finding a decent crew at Neverwinter."
Ciara examined the map and saw that no rivers went from Mithral Hall to Neverwinter.
Ciara's finger traced along the coast. "I've never seen the ocean before."
"You will." The words were simple but carried the weight of an oath. Then Kyner asked the question that had been haunting him, "how did you know that the destroyers of Noatun were coming here?"
It took Ciara a moment to think of how to explain it, "I could feel them, like a weight bearing down on my mind, and I could see them, but only vaguely, like looking at something under water. It's not distinct, but it was clear enough to know what they were."
"And what were they?"
"Orcs, ogres, trolls, giants, and others."
Kyner nodded, "You're sure they're coming here?"
"They're coming for me. Hunting me. But, they want to consume everything in their path. The dark thing is feeding their appetites."
"Dark thing?"
Ciara spoke and hoped that what she said made some kind of sense, "I could feel something lording over them. I couldn't see it. I didn't want to see it. It was so dark. Dark and cruel."
A new thought occurred to Ciara, "Maybe, I didn't really feel anything. That thing, maybe it showed me what it wanted me to see."
Then they heard an explosion followed by the ringing of steel in the distance. Kyner's face was drawn in alarm.
"I don't think they're here yet," said Ciara. Kyner only nodded and the noise stopped soon thereafter. Not very much was said.
It was over an hour later when the door opened and Mahtan stepped through. He still bore the grim countenance he had worn during his last meeting with the two but had apparently laid the anger to rest. He wore a suit of elven mail and a long sword hung from his side. Kyner stood immediately.
"Things have changed," said the elven lord as he stepped through the door and closed it. "I am sorry that I acted rashly before. I foolishly allowed myself to be blinded by a veil of anger." Kyner seemed to relax a little at the admission.
"You were right Kyner, the elves you fought earlier were mine, bound by powerful spells but not necessarily geas spells. The same was true of the elves who attacked Ciara. The creature that cast those spells attempted to influence me as well. It amplified my mistrust of all outsiders and fed my anger. The creature had hoped I would kill both of you out of fear and blind rage.
"But after I had you sent away and my anger subsided I began to feel that something was wrong. Looking within myself, I saw something else staring back at me. The creature quickly retreated from my mind after realizing its mistake but did not withdraw quickly enough for its own sake.
"I took a dozen of my best warriors into the undergrowth where it had secluded itself. The creature was a rakshasa, and more powerful than I had expected. We killed it but the fight cost me seven of my warriors. I find I must thank you Kyner. In spite of all the trouble you and your ward have caused me, you have indirectly helped me to eliminate a great threat within my own lands."
Kyner and Ciara were surprised and watched Mahtan expectantly.
"The two of you, as well as your companion, are free to go. I will provide immediate transport for you to Hreispell. You must leave quickly, many of the other lords of Aeterveris believe that I should detain you further."
"Could I ask something of you Lord Mahtan?" requested Ciara.
"Yes, child," Mahtan replied.
"You told Kyner that Gorion had been slain. Do you know what happened to his ward?"
"I heard of Gorion's fate from a friend I have within the harpers. Gorion was one of them and they have taken a keen interest in the affairs of the Bhaalspawn. It would not surprise me if you hear from them. All I know is that there are two other harpers, friends of Gorion, that are searching for him. They have had no success that I am aware of. But this news is several days old.
"There are other problems surrounding the Baldur's Gate region as well. Banditry has become a severe problem, they are attacking nearly all caravans that enter the region."
Kyner nodded and turned to Ciara, "Tell Bohdan what's happened and get ready to leave." Ciara nodded and quickly left the room.
Kyner spoke again once the door had closed, "Now, tell me what you didn't want to say in front of Ciara."
"You haven't lost your perception old friend," said Mahtan. "Your girl was right. The destroyers of Noatun are coming here. And, as Ciara said, there are more than just Giants in their army. My scouts report their numbers at around seven thousand, mainly orcs. "
"What are you going to do?"
"I have decided to send you and Ciara on your way to Hreispell. We will slow down the enemy as much as we can."
"That is insane. You have less than a thousand warriors, not nearly enough to repel the enemy horde."
"You are right there. We cannot repel them, we can only try and give you and Ciara all the time we can." Mahtan's face grew more intent, "Kyner, I have thought much on this. I do not know what fate has in store for Ciara but it is obvious that the Bhaalspawn will be instrumental in shaping the course that Faerun is to take for quite some time.
"Your girl, she is troubled but shows promise. I believe she can make a significant difference in the times to come. Aeterveris is a small price to pay compared to what may happen if Bhaalspawn, such as the one hunting Ciara now, are the ones who decide the fate of the world."
"You," Kyner stumbled over his words, "you truly intend to engage that Bhaalspawn's army? You will be crushed, all of Aeterveris will be put to the torch! Do you really expect the rest of your people to go along with this?"
"I do not. They will have their chance to flee. The enemy still has five days of marching before it will reach us and I plan to announce my decision as soon as you are on your way. Anyhow, I do not think that the Bhaalspawn has any intention of leaving Aeterveris be. We are far too tempting a target for a rampaging army.
"Before I leave you, there is one last thing I must say. I said many things at our last meeting that I will regret for what little remains of my life. By far the worst thing I did was to tell you that Ciara could never be your girl, and that you were a fool for thinking so. Now I can see that you have far more sway over her than her own father can ever hope for."
"May it be so," prayed Kyner.
"Now I must go, and so should you. Selinde will be along presently to escort you and your party until you reach Hreispell. I suggest you get ready before your companions must wait on you."
It only took Kyner a few seconds to throw his things together and leave the room. As he expected, Bohdan and Ciara were already outside. A young elven woman–she couldn't have been any older than one hundred fifty years–had been leaning against the doorframe and suddenly straightened when Kyner pulled the door open.
Kyner thought he had seen a look of annoyance on her face, by now it had vanished. Then he recognized her. Selinde, Mahtan had called her, she was the same one who had shown Kyner to his room only yesterday. Kyner was certain that this was no coincidence. Damn you Mahtan what are you up to?
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kyner grumbled, "we need to get moving."